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Keith Hughes Keith Hughes is offline
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First recorded activity by BoatBanter: Jul 2006
Posts: 100
Default HEAD, for boat with no HEAD. Wag Bag question ..

Maybe you should learn how to think in a logical manner before jumping
in with snide comments in a heretofore friendly discussion. The legal
obligations relate to discharge of untreated wastes and sewage, yes? The
definitions tell you what constitutes "sewage" and what constitutes
"discharge". Human waste *is* sewage. Which part of that is unclear?

Keith Hughes

Dave wrote:

And you apparently need to learn how to read. Those are definitions.
Definitions do not in and of themselves create legal obligations. I'll stand
by my prior post.



On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 13:11:33 -0700, Keith Hughes
said:


You need to look at the underlying act, not just the CFR. Look at
Section 312 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1322),
under marine sanitation devices. It states, in part:

(6) ‘‘sewage’’ means **human body wastes and** emphasis added the
wastes from toilets and other receptacles intended to receive or retain
body wastes except that, with respect to commercial vessels on
the Great Lakes, such term shall include graywater;

From the same section:

(9) ‘‘discharge’’ includes, but is not limited to, any spilling,
leaking, pumping, pouring, **emitting** emphasis added, emptying or
dumping;

It's clear from the underlying act that human wastes, contained in
non-biological containers or not, are "sewage", and cannot legally be
discharged untreated. I'll happily bow to Peggie's greater knowledge
regarding enforcement, but it seems clear that hanging your butt over
the rail in the marina isn't legal.